This document summarizes an analysis of extension schools in California's postsecondary education landscape. It provides an overview of the different types of institutions that make up California's postsecondary ecology, including community colleges, public universities, for-profit schools, MOOCs, and extension schools. It then examines the history and role of extension schools, provides case studies of University of California, Davis and California State University, Long Beach extension programs, and compares offerings and credentials across different extension and non-extension programs. The document concludes by recommending further research and engagement with stakeholders to explore how extensions could play a role in lifelong learning in California.

1. Hire Ed
Extension Schools in California’s Postsecondary Ecology
May 17, 2018
Stanford Graduate School of Education
Policy, Organization and Leadership Studies
Grace Phillips Fowler, Joyce Marie Jones, Sam Jasmine Alavi, Zach Jue Lam

3. Ecology of postsecondary education in CA
workforcedevelopmentagencies
University
of
California
(UC)
system
California
State
University
(CSU)
system
private
nonprofit
universities
California
Community
College (CC)
system
MOOCs
corporate
training
programs
for-profit
schools
codingacademies
extension
schools

4. Imagine: Extension schools at the intersection
for-profits
workforce
development
agencies coding
academies
corporate
training
MOOCs
CC system
CSU system
UC system
private
non-profits
extension
schools

5. University extensions: A proud legacy
1930s
Studebaker’s
“people’s
university”
and the
Wisconsin
Idea
1914
The Smith-Lever
Act allowed the
USDA
Cooperative
Extension
Service to
connect with
land-grant
universities to
provide
demonstrations
18871816
First
extension
lecture in the
US appears
at Rutgers
2014
Executive
Order 1099
details
procedures
for The
California
State
University
Extended
Education
Operations
1902
University
Extension is
reorganized
as a
self-governing
body within the
University of
California
The Hatch-
Experiment
Station Act
allots funds to
land-grant
colleges for
extension
divisions at a
county level
1862 and
1890
The Morrill
Acts of 1862
and 1890
paved the
way for the
creation of
Land-Grant
Universities

6. Case study: University of California, Davis
● What is now known as UC Davis began as “University Farm School”, an extension of UC Berkeley’s campus, in 1908.
● In its current form, UC Davis has its own extension school which was founded in 1960. UC Davis Extension now reaches
58,000 students each year and offers over 3,000 courses.
● UC Davis Extension serves a variety of student demographics including veterans and scholars over the age of 50.
● Supporting veterans and their families is an important goal of UC Davis Extension. The school provides resources to
ensure veterans and military spouses have access to UC Davis Extension programs.
● UC Davis Extension offers unique educational opportunities specific to the school’s local needs.
University Farm School, 1940’s

7. Statewide reach of UC/CSU extensions

8. Case study: California State University-Long Beach Ext.
School

9. Extension schools in the CA public universities
Type of Program # of UC
Extensions
% of UC
Extensions
# of CSU
Extensions
% of CSU
Extensions
BA Degree Granting None 0% 17 74%
MA Degree Granting 2 22% 21 91%
STEM Certificates 9 100% 17 74%
Education Certificates 8 89% 10 43%
Healthcare Certificates 5 56% 16 70%
Business Certificates 9 100% 15 65%
ESL Programs 5 56% 9 39%
Corporate Education 5 56% 8 35%

10. Cross-ecology comparison: M.S. in Nursing
Institution Degree Title Degree Type Tuition Number of Units Financial Aid
available
Prestige
CSU East Bay
Extension
Nursing Education Master’s in
Science
$19,470 33 units Loans Brand association
with CSU East
Bay
Kaplan
University
Nurse Educator Master’s in
Science
$25,200 60 credits Loans Possible negative
signal
2U (through
Georgetown
University
Online)
Women’s Health
Nurse Practitioner
Master’s in
Science
$87,780 44 units Loans Unclear but has
Georgetown
brand association

11. Cross-ecology comparison: Computer Programming
Certificate
Institution Certificate Title Certificate
Type
Tuition Number of Units Financial Aid available Prestige
UCSC Silicon
Valley
Extension
Computer
Programming
Certificate $5,000 14 units Loans, federal
workforce funding
Brand
association
with UCSC
City College
of San
Francisco
Computer
Programming:
C++ or Java
Certificate $1029 20-22 units BOGW for financially
eligible students or
loans
Affordable
w/o cache of
UC brand
University of
Phoenix
Programming Certificate $7164 18 units Loans Possible
negative
signal
Coursera
(through Duke
University)
Specialization in
Java
Programming and
Software
Engineering
Fundamentals
Specialization $294-343
(based on averages;
payment occurs in a
monthly subscription
fee of $49)
5 courses None TBD but has
Duke brand
association

12. Extension schools have a unique reach in the market

13. Imagine: extensions as a bridge
workforce
development
traditional
higher
education
extensions

14. Comparative advantages of extension schools
Primary Goal of
Workforce
Development
Charter
Commitment
to Californians
Consumer
Affordability
Sensitivity to
Labor Market
Needs
Physical
Campuses
Across CA
Flexible
Schedules
Focus on
Adult Students
Prestige
UCs ✔ ✔ ✔
CSUs ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
CCs ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Private
Non-Profits
✔ ✔
Private
For-Profits
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
MOOCs ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Workforce
Dev. Boards
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
UC/CSU
Extension
Schools
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

15. Recommendations for next steps
● Field research to better understand the scope, opportunities and
limitations of UC and CSU extensions
● Gather and integrate administrative data about extensions
● Conduct design charrettes with multiple stakeholders to envision
creative roles for extensions for lifelong learning in CA
● Include extensions in future versions of CA Master Plan

16. Find us at flow.stanford.edu

17. Contact information
Christine Bora Lee, cboralee@stanford.edu
Grace Phillips Fowler, gpfowler@stanford.edu
Joyce Marie Jones, jjones15@stanford.edu
Sam Jasmine Alavi, sjalavi@stanford.edu
Zach Jue Lam, zlam@stanford.edu
faculty advisor: Mitchell Stevens, mitchell.stevens@stanford.edu

18. Resources
Academic Personnel and Programs: University of California Extension. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/programs-and-initiatives/faculty-resources-advancement/faculty-handbook-sections/university-of-california-extension.html
Andrews, M. (2017) Lifelong learning requires and evolving university. University World News.
Deil-Amen, R. (2015) The “traditional” college student. Remaking college: The changing ecology of higher education. Stanford University Press.
Chui, M., Manyika, J., and Miremadi, M. (2016) Where machines could replace humans--and where they can’t (yet). McKinsey Quarterly.
Gándara, P., & Cuellar, M. (2016). The Baccalaureate in the California Community College: Current Challenges & Future Prospects, (July), 1–68. Retrieved from
https://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research/college-access/underrepresented-students/the-baccalaureate-in-the-california-community-college-current-challenges-future-prospects/CA-CC-BA-report-070616
.pdf
Geiser, S., & Atkinson, R. C. (2012). Beyond the Master Plan: The Case for Restructuring Baccalaureate Education in California. California Journal of Politics and Policy, 57. https://doi.org/10.1515/cjpp-2012-0042
Holland, M.M. and DeLuca, S. (2016) “Why Wait Years to Become Something?” Low-income African American Youth and the Costly Career Search in For-profit Trade Schools. Department of Educational Leadership and
Policy.
Konnikova, M. (2014) Will MOOCs be flukes?. The New Yorker.
Johnson, H., & Sengupta, R. (2009). Closing the Gap: Meeting California’s Need for College Graduates. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4516-5
McConville, S., Bohn, S., & Beck, L. (2014). California’s health workforce needs: Training allied workers.
The Campaign for College Opportunity. (2016). Needed: Sy(STEM)ic Response.
McKinsey Global Institute. (2017) Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: Workforce Transitions in a Time of Automation.
McMillan Cottom, T. (2017) Lower Ed: The troubling rise of for-profit colleges in the new economy. The New Press.
Pistrui, J. (2018) The future of human work is imagination, creativity, and strategy. Harvard Business Review.
State of California Employment Development Department. (2016) California occupational employment projections between 2014-2024. LaborMarketInfo.
University of California: Universitywide and Affiliated Institutions. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/uchistory/general_history/institutions/institutions_u.html#university_extension